May if 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
997 
quantity, and you will get a better result with less ex- 
haustion to soil and tree. With pulp or simple vegetable 
compost, use jib. of a complete artificial manure. In 
manuring low-lying estates, I would never apply an 
ounce of artificial manure without some vegetable 
addition. On estates at. high elevations I believe that 
this is of less importance, as the exhausting power of 
the sun is less felt by the vegetable matter originally 
existent in the soil, 
In the second place, instead of using the customary 
mixture of 2 of castor cake to 1 of bones, I would advo- 
cate the reversal of the proportions, adding 2 of bones 
to 1 of castor cake by weight. It is, I believe, tho 
popular delusion, and one that I certainly laboured 
under a short time back, that the ill effects following 
tbe use of any large application of the foimcr mix- 
ture are due to the over-forcing power exerted by the 
bones : this I now beli ve to be entirely erroneous. 
We have, most of us, ei her heard of or s> en for our- 
selves the fatal effect of doses of guano, when applied 
alone to coffee, and y t, 1 believe, that, in making use 
of castor cake and bones in the first propot bibns, we are 
following, though at. a BOtnewhal slower pace, an equally 
suicidal policy ; that we are in fact obtaining increased 
crops at the expense of the future. It has been gen- 
erally admitted that largo applications of nitrogenous 
manures tend to the future exhaustion of the soil. 
With cereal crops the effect of nitrogenous manures 
is to stimulate the plants to take up excessive supplies 
of mineral matter [nun the. soil : equally no with cof- 
fee, but being a perennial, the action of manure upon 
it is more complicated. My explanation of the ex- 
haustion following tho use of largo applications of 
castor cako and bones in the u-ual pivpn.'ii.ms is .his : 
The effect of tho nitrogen in the castor cake is to 
stimulate the tree into unusual activity, and it conse- 
quently seuds out roots in all directions in search of 
food. As long as the supply of mineral matter is well 
sustained by the manure and soil tho tree flourishes, 
but there comes a timo when the phosphate of the 
bones or the available potash of the soil is exhausted. 
Tho nitrogen of tho castor cake from being in excess 
still, however, continues its stimulating action upon the 
tree, but it isunable any further to supply itself with 
all tho mineral mutter it requiries either to sustain 
the crop or to keep the tree itself in good heart, 
and exhaustion sets in in the tree itself; it. is in fact 
starved in respect of some important constituent of its 
food. If, on the other hand, tho proportions are re- 
versed, and two of bones used to one of castor cake, 
the nitrogen exerts but a moderate stimulus in pro- 
portion to tho mineral matter available, and. should 
the nitrogen of tho castor cake become exhausted, 
there is still sufficient left in the hones, together with 
that which is naturally supplied by tho rains, to en- 
able tho tree to perform its duo functions without 
any feeling of starvation. 
1 shall be told that this is all theory and not 
practically proved. It is truo that I have intro- 
duced this theory to account for tho fact, but, as to 
the fuct itself, my own experience seoms to provo 
to me beyond room for doubt that, in tho one 
case, there is over-stimulus and subsequent exhaus- 
tion, while, by following the course I recommend, 
no ill results cusuo. 
Thirdly, though it may be safe to apply such partial 
fertilizers ai castor cake aud bones, « here tho re- 
quirements of the sod are well understood, 1 should 
recommend for general use a complete manure ; that 
is one that contains every necessary element of food, 
such for instance as tho pat nt of M . Cms 
and I'u ti I in, which, with me, has had such a fine effect 
for, if tho tr>e is iusuilicieutly supplied with any, 
necossary element, it cniuotfail to suffer. 
Lastly tho axiom 11 it it not bo forgotten, that whore 
colloo bears well, there manure will make it ht.ir better. 
There are certain estates or portions of estates which 
from climatic or other influence are outside the line 
of high production. To such as are above the line, I 
would Bay, pin your faith to Cinchona Robusta, and 
to those below, to some product which you have 
found to suit your elevation. Then will the future 
prosperity ot Ceylon be assurd, and, in a few years, 
investors and mortgagees will alike agree that there 
is no country equal to this of certainty of interest. 
That the number of the latter class may then be few 
is the earnest wish of, — yours faithfully. 
Wm. J). BOSANQUET. 
No. II. 
Yoxford, Dimbula, April 1st, 1882. 
Dear Sik, — I have by this mail received a letter 
from Mr. John Hughes, disclaiming the association 
of his name with the mixture used on plot No. 4 
of my published experiments. I must offer my apolo- 
gies to Mr. Hughes lor making use of his name, 
I but my reason for calling the mixture his, was that, 
in a special report to tho Ceylon Company, Limited, 
ho had advised the mixture as best for application 
on the neighbouring estate, Meddecumbra, the soil of 
1 which I had concluded was generally similar to that 
of my manure plots. 
The misunderstanding arises from my overlooking 
the fact that Mr. Hughes and myself are working 
in opposing lines: Mr. Hughes teacht-s that the la- 
boratory will t-11 us by analysis what manure to 
use; while I, as a pupil of M. Ville, hold that the 
only satisfactory analysis of the soil is the manure 
itself. Perhaps some of the estate managers of the 
different estates, whose soil was analyzed by Mr. 
Hughe^, and for which special mixtures were recom- 
mended, will publish the remit of the applications. 
Such information would be very valuable to the public. 
—Yours faithfully, Wm. D. BOSAKQUET. 
THE~ PAPAW TEEE. 
(From the Straits Times, March 28th.) 
The following is a translation of an article on the 
papaya tree appearing in the Padunt' HandeLblad of 
the IGth Feb.— 
The Papaya.— The Parica Capaya (in Javanese 
Kales, Malay, Pisang Pelo, and Nias, Bala) is a 
tropical plant which, on account of its hygienic pro- 
perties, he.s, of late, been attracting the attention of 
medical men. If it be true, of which we have no 
doubt, that the juice of the papaya tree pi ssesses 
digestion-promoting properties, every one who stands 
in need ot it should give the preference to " p.-ip'iine," 
the vegetable pepsiue, prepared from papaya, over 
the animal one, which those aware of its origin may 
find it dithcult to swallow. The papaya is a hand- 
some tr.e, which may beet serve as an ornament to 
gardens, where, however, it allows very little room 
for the growth of shrubs and bushes* from its absorb- 
ing an incredible quantity of moisture. Wheu not 
topped, its cylindrical stem attains a height of 10 
to 20 feet, crowned by a number of large leaves. 
These fall off wheu withered, and where the hoof, 
shaped ends of the stalks bad been attached to the 
trunk, leave marks, which being symmetrically MTWgod 
and consecutive, the treo bam tho ap|u\ir.ui"'c of bving 
lined with rings more or less regularly. Wheu tho pipaya 
attained its full growth, a very pale green (lower 
appears 011 the stem at tho foot of oich leaf stalk. 
The flower unfadjnglj becomes a fruit, so that, al- 
most daily, every period of growth from tho bud 
to full ripeness may ho observed on tho papaya 
tree. Nativu cookery comprises several different kinds 
of tasty currim and tamhalt prepared from tho un. 
ripe but uot too young fruit of tho papaya, while, 
as dessert, the r ip* Iruit, in its turn, affords us 
